1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a decorative gift package for decorating many types of articles and, more particularly, to a shopping bag integrated with a self-forming bow which, when formed, closes the bag and completes a gift-receiving package.
2. Description of Related Art
A wide variety of gift wrapping and packaging materials is available to a gift giver. Separate bows and wrapping paper are conventionally used to adorn a gift package. Although the wrapping procedure is simple enough in theory, nevertheless, experience has shown that a certain amount of skill is indeed necessary to properly wrap a package. Indeed, for this purpose, department stores regularly employ skilled personnel in wrapping departments, and skilled individuals hire out their wrapping talents within shopping malls, particularly at holiday seasons.
In order to simplify the wrapping procedure, a bow may be pre-formed and pasted onto a wrapped package, or a separate bow may be formed in situ on the package by pulling on a drawstring, thereby folding individual bow-forming ribbons into loops which together are stacked to form a bow. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,632,464 and 2,562,919. Even so, a need exists for a ready-to-go package which can be formed without any specific skills or talent into a decoratively wrapped package so that gifts or like objects can be attractively presented with a minimum of fuss and bother.
There also exists a need for such a gift package which, in its unformed or unerected condition, lies flat for ease of storage, shipment and display, and which occupies a minimum of space.
In earlier efforts to integrate a package and a bow in a unitary combination, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,608,283 and 4,566,592, the bow was formed at one side of the package. However, such gift presentations were only attractive when viewed from the side adorned by the bow. The opposite side of the package was plain by comparison.
In addition, the known integrated package and bow combinations were not tamper-resistant in the sense that they were readily openable and re-usable. Many retailers, in an effort to prevent shoplifting, after a customer has paid for an article placed within an always-open shopping bag, would like to prevent the customer from placing additional unpaid-for articles within the bag. Retailers have resorted to folding or otherwise gathering upper marginal edge regions of the bag and, thereupon, stapling the so-folded or gathered regions to close the bag. Paper bag seals, such as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 1,128,192, have also been disclosed to close the bag and prevent items from being subsequently placed therein. However, the need persists for a bag which is not only effectively closed to deter theft, but also which is attractive as viewed from all sides of the bag.